Sports injuries and illnesses during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in both athletes and nonathletes in the Zhangjiakou Competition Zone

Objectives To describe the incidences of injuries and illnesses sustained during the XXIV Winter Olympic Games, hosted by Beijing in 2022. Methods We recorded the daily number of injuries and illnesses in athletes and nonathletes in the polyclinic and medical venues documented by the Beijing 2022 medical staff. Results In total, 35,537 athletes and nonathletes were evaluated for injuries and illnesses. The Beijing 2022 medical staff reported 725 injuries and 1119 illnesses comprising 24 injuries and 31 illnesses per 1000 athletes and nonathletes during the Winter Olympic Games. Altogether, 2.4% of the athletes and nonathletes incurred at least one injury and 3.1% had at least one illness. The injury incidence was highest in athletes (14.4%), team officials (8.8%), staff (2.1%), and volunteers (2.1%), and lowest in national and international technical officials (1.5%) and stakeholders (0.3%). The highest incidences of illness were recorded in team officials (7.5%), volunteers (4.8%), and athletes (4.6%). Seventeen percent of the illnesses and injuries affected the oral structures, 15.4% affected the gastrointestinal system, and 10.5% affected the respiratory system. Conclusion The injury morbidity rate of athletes was 14.4%, and the illness morbidity rate was 4.6%. For nonathletes, the injury morbidity rate was 2.0%, and the illness morbidity rate was 3.1%. The incidences of injuries and illnesses varied substantially among the different categories of participants. Analyses of the injury mechanisms and illness causes in athletes and nonathletes during the Winter Olympic Games are essential to devise better injury and illness prevention strategies. Summary Box Injury and illness rates have been reported for previous Winter Olympic Games but not for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. Previous studies of Winter Olympic Games focused on injuries in athletes, only. In this study, we evaluated injury and illness rates in both athletes and nonathletes. With the results of this study, we hoped to provide a reference for the formulation of diagnostic and treatment strategies for injuries and illnesses for athletes and nonathletes participating in the Winter Olympic Games.